Nimoadr
by LadyEragon
Summary: An unhatched dragon senses the presence of it's rider who is captured, leaving the young dragon to hatch into a world where it is alone. It's destiny: to find her rider.
1. Prologue: Hatched

I sense him before he even reaches me and places his hands on the cool surface of my shell. I can imagine astonishment filling his eyes at the sight of the orange hues of the exterior, colours of autumn all mixed together like a sea of leaves. He finds me attractive, that much I can tell, but his mind is still not open to me. He is a man, probably doesn't know a single thing about the ancient language and has no magical ability. The magic will find him though, when I finally hatch out of my restraints in which I have been imprisoned for countless years, just lying here in the middle of this forest waiting for someone to find me-preferably my rider. And now he has.

His hands trace the light yellow veins that run across my shell. He starts to pick me up, to carry me somewhere, but his head suddenly snaps to the side hearing what I can just make out to be heavy footfalls belonging to the Kings men, and probably Urgals. Of course I've never seen them or smelt them, just sensed their presence, and I once heard people who passed me speaking of them. They didn't notice me though, I was trapped under a huge pile of leaves but I think they sensed me. One even got of their horse- I think she was an elfin women, her mind was easier to detect but she slammed me out of it immediately then carried on.

The boy withdraws his touch and throws pine needles and dirt over my surface to camouflage me. He steps back and I hear the sharp ring of metal upon metal and frantically try to reach my rider, to hatch for him right now and try to rescue him. Only I'm so small I would be trampled on and I can't hatch that quickly, but I try anyway making myself rock frantically, trying to smash my shell against a rock, a tree root, but it doesn't work. Finally I keep still, hearing cries of pain and a dragging sound.

_He has been captured._

My rider. Gone quicker than you could say Argetlam! He won't even be here when I hatch, and I am going to hatch. He will bear no silver palm, and unfortunately another person could if they were to touch me first. I don't even know how to find him or where he's gone but it will be my destiny, and I will not let another single soul touch me until I find him. No one else will ever bear the mark that links them to me and I swear to it in my mind and my heart.

The agony in my mind courses through the veins in my tiny body and threatens to crush my heart. They have taken the one person that could ever truly care away from me and now I am nothing but a dragon stuck in a stupid shell. I shouldn't be sitting here waiting for him to be tortured, murdered. Finally I decide to try and break free of my perfectly polished case as letting his situation cause me pain will only create less time for me to save him. I'll need to be small enough so that I won't attract attention and therefore won't be touched, which wouldn't be so much of a problem if a dragon could grow more slowly and if I knew where he was. But I don't.

Rocking, biting, clawing. I begin to break my way out of the confines of my shell, destroying the smooth coloured case until it caves in around me, leaving me standing beneath the moonlit sky surrounded by the cracked fragments of my egg. Despair fills my body at not being able to see my rider after hatching, not being able to see his eyes light up with joy at the prospect of finding and owning an almost extinct species. I quickly push away the thought and concentrate on something I want just as much as my rider- to be able to breathe in fresh air and to smell and hear everything around me. I draw in a deep breathe and the air is sweet. A breeze tickles my face and I stretch my thin wings allowing them to feel the coolness it offers. Looking around I notice a bed of snowy white wild flowers just a few trees away. I gingerly sniff them and am rewarded with a heavenly scent which I cannot describe as I have nothing to compare it to. The stems of the flowers grow tall and thick, so I decide to curl up in between them letting them conceal me from whatever lurks in the forest. Looking up at the stars I find peace and slowly begin to fall asleep after muttering another promise to find my rider so that we can watch the stars together someday.


	2. Chapter One

A white raven perched in a nearby tree wakes me with it's continuous shouting of "Wryda!" Blinking to adjust my eyes to the light I look up at it, it's eyes stare straight at me taking in my proportions and I worry that it might swoop down and start pecking at me, but it doesn't. It simply stares, extends it's wings and soars off into the distance with a final, "Wryda." Slowly creeping out from under the white flowers, I catch sight of a small creature with a long tail that makes little squeaking noises. It's brown fur keeps it camouflaged but I can easily see it moving across the ground until it reaches me. It stands still, fright filling it's tiny eyes and it's pink nose twitches frantically. I slowly reach into it's mind to learn that it is called a mouse. Curiously I start to sniff it back, and a thin line of smoke streams out of my nostrils and the mouse frantically hurries off. Making friends is going to be difficult.

Now that the forest seems quiet and empty with no threat of being harmed, hunger and thirst begins to hit my body. Without a rider to help me I'm not entirely sure how to catch food to eat, but water should be easy to find. Walking across the ground, the dirt soft beneath my feet and the trees creating a cool breeze, feels like heaven after my limbs have been cramped up for so long. Only not a heaven without my rider.

Eventually I reach a little stream which bubbles along the rocks merrily, creating a soft and calming trickling sound. It meanders round the willow trees with their low hanging branches and out of sight. I carefully walk towards the streams edge and lower my head to lap up the cool water with my pink tongue, listening intently for anything that might try to sneak up behind me.

Looking into the clear water, I catch sight of a pair of amber coloured eyes staring straight at me. Fear spreads to the tips of my wings and I jump back, whatever was looking at me seems startled too and it moves back at the exact same time as me. Curiously I creep back towards the waters edge to get a better look at the strange creature that can move at the same time as me. Standing before it I stretch my wings and it copies me…

The beautiful hues of orange shimmer and sparkle before my eyes, slightly distorted by the rippling water and I realise that I'm not staring at some strange creature that can move at the same time as me, I am staring at my reflection. Large eyes, small body, sharp teeth, claws, and spines and my thin membrane of wings, which will one day be strong enough to fly with a rider on my back. I continue staring at my reflection until the sun goes down, making me unable to see myself in the moonless night and the stars are little help. I trudge sleepily back towards the flower bed, my thirst quenched but my hunger still gnawing at my stomach. Tomorrow I will have to find some sort of food, navigate my way through this forest and begin the search for my rider.

In the distance and owl hoots, for some reason I know all the different types of birds but not many other creatures. The sound is soothing and my eyelids feel heavy, sleep takes over my body and for the first time ever I have a dream:

A young man of about sixteen years old is lying on the floor with blood staining the sleeve of his left arm from a wound. His hair is bronze and falls just above his shoulders and his eyes are closed making him look at peace. The sound of rusty hinges fills the silent room and a dark haired man enters the room, which I now notice is a cell, and gives the boy on the floor a look of pity, and places a plate holding stale bread on the floor along with a glass of water. "I wish I could help you," he mutters, his voice is quiet like he's afraid he might be heard.

The boy on the floor stirs and whispers, "Help it. Please. The Spine," and falls back into unconsciousness. The other man looks down at him and runs his fingers through his hair, conflicting emotions flicker in his eyes and then he leaves. The boy just lies there, occasionally murmuring something about an orange stone, and then it hits me. His heart. It is the heart of my rider. He is being held prisoner.


	3. Chapter Two

**Two:**

Drops of water fall steadily on my body, cool against the heat in the forest. I listen to it's steady patter on the leaves, a steady rhythm that creates a tranquil song. Stretching out my body I poke my tongue out to taste it, it tastes just the same as the water from the river. I walk out from under the plants and onto the now soft dirt of the ground. My little legs ache from my walk yesterday, but I still need to find my rider. With no idea where he would be I walk eastwards, hoping that I can find something that would give me a clue to where he is.

The water falls heavier from the angry grey clouds, splashing on my body and trickling to the ground. I reach a clearing and decide to wait under the shelter of a tree with low hanging branches and large leaves to help keep me dry. But the rain does not stop. Stiff with the cold I slowly make my way into the clearing, looking around for any sort of predators, then I run. I run as fast as my legs permit, stumbling through the long grass that tickles my stomach and sometimes I even trip over stones. Birds in the tree's suddenly start shrieking, a warning cry of something dangerous. A large shadow creeps over the clearing, something that not even the darkest cloud could achieve. I stop and crouch down low in the long grass, fear creeping into every scale that coats my body. Fearfully I look to the sky where a large creature circles the clearing. It looks like a bird to begin with, but then it flies lower and red scales flash in the sun that just manages to break the clouds. A dragon.

I stand up and watch it fly, envy replaces my fear as my own wings are not yet strong enough to hold me in the air. I watch in amazement as it soars in the air, not even bothered by the large droplets of water that continue to fall rapidly. Then it circles again, flying lower and lower until it lands in the clearing causing the ground to shake under it's weight. A man jumps off his back, dark hair framing his face and a large sword strapped to his belt. He walks forwards, eyes fixing on the ground beneath his feet until he stands before me and smiles. He extends his arm to touch me, but his dragon gives out a low growl and his arm drops back to his side. The red dragon walks forward and stops in front of me, leans down and licks me on the head. Warmth fills my body and my limbs no longer ache. _Don't be afraid little one. We are hear to help you. _A deep but calming voice fills my head and I look between both dragon and rider, wondering which one just spoke in my mind. The man laughs and looks at the dragon. "That was Thorn. I would not speak to you in your mind young dragon, unless you permitted it."

I glance at the huge dragon, raindrops glistening on his scales and butterflies form in my stomach. But something in his eyes confuses me, he looks as if he is bound to someone, tied with some dark magic. He answers my questions in my mind. _We are both bound to Galbatorix in the ancient language_, he tells me, _but we would much rather be free_. Sadness fills both the dragon's and the rider's eyes, neither of them want to be fighting for the King. I lower my head and stare at the soggy ground, unsure of what to say to the dragon. We all stand in silence for a while until the man speaks. "We are here on request of your rider, young dragon. He is being held captive by Galbatorix. He told us where to find you, we're surprised the King has not found out where you are yet, he must be strong." I look up at him, hope spreading to the tips of my wings. _Has he been hurt? Will he be able to find me? _I ask Thorn in my mind.

He looks to his rider before answering. _Murtagh says that he is being held in a cell but he won't be killed. The King hopes that he will find out where you are and will then have a new dragon rider to be on his side. _Sadness replaces the hope that I felt only a moment ago. If I am found then I will be bound to the man who captured my rider, just like the two in front of me.

"You're only hope is to find the Varden" the man named Murtagh says. "There is another dragon and rider who can help you. The dragon is named Saphira and her rider Eragon, but you must be able to fend for yourself if you are to reach them. You must try to stay away from people if you can, one touch from them and they will bear the mark of a rider." I nod, trying not to look afraid in front of the beautiful red dragon. But it is no use, he can read my feelings just as easily as he can read my mind.

_Do not fear, young one. We are here to teach you how to survive on your own_. I give the dragon a tiny smile, and send images of thanks into his mind.

The rest of the day is spent learning how to hunt for food on my own, the best places to hide from larger animals and even which plants are edible. By the time they finish teaching me the silver moon has risen, reflecting off my scales and casting the forest into even more shadows. Thankfully the rain stops, allowing me to dry before the nights sleep. Murtagh leads me to a tree and shows me a hole in the trunk where I will be able to sleep unafraid of predators. Once in side Thorn lowers his head and peers at me with one of his large eyes. _Sleep well young dragon and stay in the forest. We will visit you again when you reach it's edge. By then we will be able to give you you're first flying lesson. _Flying! The idea fills me with excitement, but is quickly overshadowed by tiredness. The dragon creates a low rumbling noise which I realise is laughter and I smile. Murtagh takes his place and looks at me, eyes full of regret.

"I wish I could bring him to you , little one. But then Galbatorix will know where you are. It's already hard enough to keep information from him. We will make sure he does not learn of our meeting. Stay safe." He walks away and mounts Thorn, just before they take to the air I whisper a thanks to the dragon's mind, hoping that he hears me and will tell his rider of my gratitude. A moment later he whispers back. _Sleep now, little one. Until we meet again. The last thing I remember is the gentle sound of the beating of wings before I slip into a peaceful slumber._


End file.
